One in five teenagers has electronically sent or posted nude and semi-nude pictures of themselves.

About one-third of teens, on average, have had nude photos shared with them, and 25 percent of them think it is no "big deal."

Those results from a 2008 survey by the National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy and Cosmo Girl magazine revealed just how prevalent the phenomenon known as "sexting" has become among teens and young adults.

"It’s in every high school, middle schools as well," said Linda Pacheco, director of public safety education for the Bristol County Sheriff’s Department.

"Many times, it’s a boyfriend who is sort of twisting the arm of his girlfriend to share that picture, and when they break up, that is where the big problem comes, that picture gets disseminated everywhere. It doesn’t take long for it to spread from school to school to school," said Pacheco, who gives regular safety presentations on topics such as cyber bullying and sexting to area schools.

The sexting issue made local headlines recently when the Swansea Police Department received a complaint earlier this month that teenage students at Joseph Case High School were sending sexually explicit photos and text messages to each other.

Officials said the Swansea case involves teenagers, all minors under the law, who could possibly face felony charges of disseminating child pornography because sexually explicit photos of someone under age 17 is defined as child pornography under Massachusetts state law.

Investigators are interviewing students and other potential witnesses. A review of the investigation, when it is completed, will be presented to the Bristol County District Attorney’s Office, officials said.

"The appropriate recommendations will be made and based upon the facts and circumstances," said Swansea Police Chief George Arruda, who declined to disclose specific details, such as how many students were allegedly involved.

Arruda said the investigation carries the "potential for criminal violations." He could not recall any similar investigations in his tenure as police chief.

"We haven’t had any incidents and allegations previously regarding the high school, at least that I’m aware of," Arruda said.

However, research shows that sexting has been a national problem for several years, with a wide cross-section of teenagers — from athletes to honor roll students — reportedly having engaged in the practice.

Teens usually send explicit images of themselves to people they date or want to date, said Dr. Elizabeth Englander, a psychology professor and director of the Massachusetts Aggression Reduction Center at Bridgewater State University.

Despite warnings from educators, guidance counselors and other adults who warn of dire consequences, Englander said that MARC’s research has shown that teens who share explicit pictures of themselves with their boyfriends or girlfriends rarely experience any problems, at least in the short-term.

Page 2 of 3 - "Ten to 20 years from now, we might have situations where these teens are applying for jobs and running for office, and these pictures are resurfacing," Englander said, adding that adult warnings about the consequences often "do not ring true" for teens.

"The reality is, if you’re a teen, 80 to 90 percent of the time you’re looking around and seeing nothing happen, at least in the short-term," Englander said.

However, Englander noted that there is still a significant number of teens who report having problems with their peers once the pictures are disseminated. Those students often sent nude or semi-nude pictures of themselves to someone in the hope of dating that person.

"The real problem we see is when kids feel pressured and coerced into doing this when they’re being promised things in return. Those are the situations that are really troubling," Englander said. "What we want kids to be aware if some guy says to you, ‘Send me a picture of your chest, and I’ll take you out on a date,’ that’s not a good situation. He doesn’t really like you."

In addition to spreading through schools, lewd pictures of teens have been posted to websites and distributed between child molesters, Pacheco said.

"Pedophiles have their own underground network that they use to share information on children, especially if they can get their hands on photos that they can distribute anywhere in the world," Pacheco said.

"Once it’s posted on the Internet, it’s out there forever. The kids and their parents simply don’t get it," Pacheco added.

Parents and their children may also not grasp the real possibility that sexting could result in criminal prosecutions. Several Bristol County cases involving middle and high school students have been prosecuted in the juvenile court system, said Gregg Miliote, spokesman for the Bristol County District Attorney’s Office.

"There is a wide range of what can happen with these cases. We try to take it on a case by case basis," Miliote said. "All these cases are different. Some of them might involve a group of people; others might be just one person."

Prosecutors seek felony charges in cases where malicious intent was involved, while in other cases, the young defendants may go through a juvenile diversion program where they will be ordered to write apology letters, Miliote said.

The Bristol County District Attorney’s Office’s Community Affairs Division has also warned teens on the dangers of sexting in several community forums and presentations.

Cecelia Porche, the district attorney’s community affairs director, said the office two years ago started its "Stop, Think, Send" campaign to educate teens to think before they text or email messages.

"We ask them to stop and think about two areas, the legal consequences and the social consequences, before they hit that send button," Porche said.

Page 3 of 3 - Englander added that district attorneys across the country have increasingly decided to prosecute sexting cases with extenuating circumstances, such as teens who were blackmailed or pressured by adults into sending nude pictures of themselves.

"There has been a recognition that there are real differences in these cases, and that they’re not all the same," Englander said.

Parents need to take an active role in educating their children on cell phone and Internet use, including monitoring their online activities, Pacheco said.

"Parents don’t understand that if you’re going to put an electronic device in the hands of your child, you need to be monitoring it and know how to use that technology," said Pacheco, adding that adults can install protective software on phones that enables them to see all the photos and text messages their children receive and send on a daily basis.

However, Englander said the days of parents being able to monitor all of their children’s online activities are "pretty much over."

"There are just too many devices and places where you can get connected (online)," Englander said. "Kids can go online anywhere with Wi-Fi.

"Really, the only option you have is to talk with them," Englander added, "which was always the best option anyway."